Office of Academic Planning and Assessment
The Office of Academic Planning and Assessment was created in 2008 to meet the University’s growing needs for institutional data, analysis, and assessment. It includes the Office of Assessment, Office of Institutional Research and Planning, Office of Survey Research and Analysis; the Office of the Academic Editor was added in 2013. The office is headed by Karen Froslid-Jones, Associate Provost.
Mission
The Office of Academic Planning and Assessment's mission is to:
- Create, collect, analyze, and interpret data and other relevant information about GW's students, faculty, and staff;
- Transform and contextualize data, analysis, and interpretations into usable information for planning, evaluation, and decision making;
- Manage and facilitate the campus learning outcomes assessment process to improve teaching and learning; and
- Serves as the University's liaison with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
- Oversees the publication of the University Bulletin and has final approval of all program and course proposals and changes to the content of the Bulletin.
For information on program and course approvals, please contact:
- Gina Harris at gharris@gwu.edu, 202-994-6310
For information on CourseLeaf and how to obtain access, please contact:
- bulletin@gwu.edu
CourseLeaf
CourseLeaf is an online platform, managed by the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment (OAPA), that is used for course and program approvals and bulletin management.
CourseLeaf Proposals
All proposals in CourseLeaf for new and existing programs and courses must be approved by (1)the program/department, (2)the school or college dean, (3)the academic editor, and (4)the Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment.
For instructions on how to make a new course / program proposal or changes to existing ones, please use the links below
Important Dates
Changes to the university bulletin are due:
| Semester/Year | Action | Deadline |
| Spring 2026 | Course proposals/changes | Monday, Sept 15, 2025 |
| Fall 2026 | Course proposals/changes | Friday, January 23, 2026 |
| Summer 2026 | Course proposals/changes | Friday, January 23, 2026 |
| Provisional 2026-2027 Bulletin | Program proposals/changes | Friday, February 6, 2026 |
| Final 2026-2027 Bulletin | Last chance to submit program changes | Wednesday, April 1, 2026 |
Please note:
- Retroactive approvals will not be granted
- New approvals or revisions cannot be publicized until approved
New Major, Minor, or an Interdisciplinary Minor
Creating the curriculum for a Major or Minor located within a Department or Interdisciplinary Major or Minor located across departments
· Majors are 32 - 80+ credits (this reflects disciplinary norms); Minors are 18 to 21 credits
· Curriculum can be built from courses in different departments, but require support and approval from all departments involved
· For an interdisciplinary minor, 1-2 courses are required that are central and create continuity and community (i.e. two of three core courses)
· For interdisciplinary majors and minors, there may be courses offered as electives in other schools but these cannot be required. The majority of courses must be CCAS. If you are including courses from other departments and programs please be sure you have worked with that program to understand whether there is space available in the courses, if it is a good fit and frequency of offerings.
· Should include electives that allow different paths to complete the major or minor. Flexibility can give students more access (students go on study abroad and have other obligations)
· Consideration should be given to events that bring students together (i.e. a conference or research day) as this creates community and sustainability
· Faculty sabbatical/leave/administrative appointments should be taken into account in terms of the frequency of course offerings. Be sure to have alternative electives and availability of alternative instructors for core courses.
· A faculty member must take responsibility for advising, communication, and the administration of the major or minor
-Interdisciplinary majors or minors must be located in a department with the Chair's approval
Some interdisciplinary major models to look at are:
WGSS
Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Africana Studies
· Consider interdisciplinary minor models:
Judaic Studies
Africana Studies
WGSS
Law and Society
Linguistics
· Consider mico-minor (9 credits focused on a theme)
Process
Before submission to the bulletin, new major/program proposals must be (1)voted on by the respective department, (2)reviewed by the Dean’s Office, and consequently (3)reviewed and approved by the CCAS Undergraduate Studies Committee.
When working towards the Bulletin deadline, faculty should consider that all new proposals undergo these iterative processes and that there is often a back-and-forth process with requests for significant revisions as part of this deliberative process. In this process, important consideration should also be given to holidays and the end-of-semester dates
Step 1 - Department
The respective department will have to vote on the new major/program. This may take one or two department faculty meetings
Step 2 - Dean's Office
· There is typically a back-and-forth between the proposers and the dean's office, with feedback given on content, resources, etc.
Deadline to submit information to the Dean's office: August 15
Step 2 - Undergraduate Studies Committee
All new programs/major/minor/micro-minor courses must be approved by the Undergraduate Studies Committee
To make the Bulletin deadline, the Undergraduate Studies Committee needs to have the completed materials (including the edits requested by the Dean's Office) by October 1. Consequently, they will have a discussion with the proposers in mid-December, and a vote will be made in mid-January after possible revisions
Undergraduate Studies Curricular Review
The committee looks at the proposal in detail and reviews the following areas:
· Hidden prerequisites because these could slow down a student's progress or make it difficult for them to finish.
· Frequency of core course offerings (this is important because students study abroad and/or have other requirements)
· How are WID courses built into/scaffolded in the curriculum?
· Can required courses be taught by more than one instructor?
· Are there enough spots in required and elective courses so students can get into these courses?
· Distribution and progression of higher-level skills and attributes as represented in curricular map, specifically "introduce," "develop”, and "attain mastery"
· Accurate representation of courses from other areas of the curriculum (for interdisciplinary proposals)
· Accurate choice of course level from other areas of the curriculum (for interdisciplinary proposals)
· Inclusion of GPAC courses in the major/minor
· How the program compares to other similar programs in terms of credit numbers & content?
(Take a look at Bloom’s taxonomy to get ideas for different categories of learning outcomes)
Required Documents (reviewed first by the Dean's Office and then the Undergraduate Studies Committee)
-Curricular map
-Narrative proposal
- Overview (2-3 paragraphs)
- Foundational Courses (plus X total credits)
- Capsule Descriptions of Course Requirements (2-3 sentences per course)
- Learning Objectives for the Major/Minor (Bullet point list)
- Justification for the Major:/Minor (2-3 paragraphs)
- Prospective Students (2-3 paragraphs) - Understand the depth and scope of student interest
- What is the likely number of students interested in the program? How was the estimate made?
- Program Outcomes (1-2 paragraphs)
The proposal should also include the answer to the following questions:
-What is the pedagogical value of the program?
-Where is the program/major/minor’s administrative home, or who will take administrative responsibility? Does the proposal have chair approval?-What new resources will be required (if any)?
-How will the major or minor persist beyond initial enthusiasm and interest?
-Are there enough faculty to teach core courses?
-What is the timeline for the proposal?
-What are the usual number of credits required for these programs? Is the proposal in line with national and local standards (this is most important for majors)?
Once all this process is completed, the new course/program proposal can be submitted to Courseleaf.
Program Assessment
Good teaching and student learning go hand-in-hand. It is through the assessment of student learning and achievement that GW is able to demonstrate that its students have accomplished educational goals consistent with their program of study, their degree level, and the institution’s mission, and has met the appropriate expectations of institutions of higher learning.
The process of assessment allows faculty to record progress in student learning, enabling them to communicate students’ successes and accomplishments to each other, their students, our alumni, and other important stakeholders.
Add assessment email
Let's Get GPAC'd!
General Education Curriculum (GPAC)
The GPAC Committee is charged with reviewing new GPAC proposal requests. Proposal requests are assigned to committee members for their review, feedback, and when needed request revisions to be approved.
If a GW faculty member would like to submit a course for GPAC review, they should follow all of the directions on the GPAC Checklist Form. This form can be filled out directly online, with space to upload all necessary course materials at the end of the form. Once submitted, the course will be reviewed by the GPAC Committee.
Submittal deadlines are November 15th for the fall semester and March 15th for the spring semester. Please allow three weeks for the committee to review the course; after that time, faculty will receive feedback from a committee member.
Note: For courses approved in the fall: GPAC designation will become effective the following fall. For courses approved in the spring: GPAC designation will become effective the following spring.
*The GPAC Committee offers open office hours twice a year to provide feedback on proposals and assessments.
- General Education Curriculum
- GPAC Course List
- General Education Learning Outcomes
- GPAC Proposal Faculty Checklist
- Proposing a GPAC Course, Choosing a GPAC Designation, and Syllabus Templates
- GPAC Removal Request Form
- GPAC Rubrics
- GPAC Assessment Templates
- General Education Feedback Rubric
DegreeMAP
DegreeMAP is an online advising and auditing system for degrees and certificates which will display the requirements for the student’s program of study and apply the student’s individual academic history to those requirements. DegreeMAP can include in-progress courses to show how currently-enrolled classes will apply to requirements. Students will also be able to run "What If…" audits which apply their current academic history to a different set of degree or certificate requirements.
In December 2020, the Office of the Registrar went live with an updated version of DegreeMAP. The new version includes enhanced planning tools for students and advisors:
- New mobile-friendly look and feel
- Additional information in the Student Header Card including declared concentrations, graduation application status, prior degrees and certificates awarded, preferred name, preferred and partial name searches for advisors, a confidentiality flag, and academic standing status.
- New report format and views available include:
- An "historic" audit showing a snapshot at the point of graduation for students continuing into new programs,
- Class history now available to students
- Look ahead has now moved to the "what-if" report
- Registrar report shows advisors underlying coding for requirements (which is a great reference for "hidden" requirements such as attributes, non-course requirements, and course sharing)
- Toggle worksheet to include of exclude in-progress and/or pre-registered courses
- Improved plan tools to work in consultation with advisors to map out timely completion requirements.
- Direct links to DegreeMAP and University Bulletin Websites
- DegreeMAP Training Video
Accessing DegreeMAP
DegreeMAP is accessed through the GWeb Information System:
Students: Student Records & Registration → Student Records Information Menu → DegreeMAP
Advisors: Faculty → DegreeMAP
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